Tibetan Prayer Flags of 8 Auspicious Signs

These prayer flags owe their origins to both the Bon religion and the dharma of Indian Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced into Tibet by Padmasambhava (800 A.D.). Previously the Tibetans professed the Bon religion which was fundamentally shamanistic.

The flags 8 auspicious signs; They should be hung in windy places so they are usually found in open spaces and at heights.

Auspicious symbols bestow well-being and happiness in the present and in the next lives. For Buddhism, they represent good omens and are often found on the walls of Buddhist temples, as well as on their interior walls. Good omens occupy a very important place in the minds of Tibetans.

In Buddhism these eight symbols are not independent elements, but each element depends on the others and is influenced and influenced by the rest of the elements. The asta-mangala or eight symbols are:

1. The infinite knot

2. The conch

3. The sun visor

4. Lotus flower

5. Goldfish

6. The precious vase

7. The wheel

8. The flag of victory

The sun and rain wear them down, turning them into strips of dull colors, a reminder that nothing is permanent.

They are renewed again every Tibetan New Year (end of February). This event represents the people's welcome to permanent change and the recognition of the cycles of everything in the universe.

The 8 auspicious symbols like other Tibetan symbols have different levels of understanding, various meanings, because they are associated with different qualities of the Buddha's teachings.

El sutra the Heap de la buena fortuna, (Aryamangalakutanama-mahayanasutra), dice, al vestir al Buda:

Veneration to you whose head is like a protective parasol,

With eyes like beautiful goldfish,

Collared like a precious glass adorned with good fortune,

With the word like a conch shell,

With an infinite mind of wisdom like a knot that never ends,

With an open tongue like an auspicious pink lotus,

With a body that proclaims victory over Mara's sharp weapons,

With feet traversing the dharma path like an auspicious wheel.